Buteyko Breathing Method

The Buteyko method is named after it’s founder, Professor Konstantin Buteyko. It followed on from his great discovery that many people, including those suffering from asthma breathe too much air. He also noted that as illness progresses the volume of air breathed increases. He then wondered if reducing the volume of air would halt or reverse the progress of the disease and the finding was positive. Reducing the volume of air breathed had a profoundly positive effect on the health of the individual.

Many diseases, those Prof Buteyko referred to as the ‘modern diseases’, ie those caused by modern way of life, where stress and worry are on the increase, can be vastly improved or eliminated by altering the breathing behaviour. Examples of such diseases are asthma, heart disease, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, anxiety and panic attacks.

Because of the enormity of his discovery and it’s potential to ease the suffering of so many, he devoted the rest of his 80 year life span to devising a natural method to correct the faulty breathing habits of those suffering from asthma and other conditions. The Buteyko Method is the result of his devotion and research, carried out over 40 years.

Through his research he found

1) through application of the breathing techniques and
2) by making modest lifestyle changes with regard to

  • diet
  • sleep
  • exercise,

 

patients, both children and adults, were able to reduce their breathing volumes and, significantly, reduce their symptoms. Asthamtics were able to go on to dramatically reduce the need for inhalers and other medications.

In 1994 the first clinical trial in the Western world was carried out at The Mater Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. The finding were, again, positive. The asthmatic patients taught the method reduced their symptoms by 71%, their use of reliever medication by 90% and their preventer medication by 49% within 3 months. A further trial carried out by a different research team in Gisbourne, New Zealand got similarly positive results. A large study carried out in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001, showed similar findings.

Exactly how overbreathing leads to such drastic consequences for asthmatics and other ill people is still debated. The theories which carry the most credibility are

  • Excessive loss of carbon dioxide from the organism causes spasm and narrowing of the airways. Carbon dioxide being the body’s natural relaxant, too low a level will comprimise its ability to relax the smooth muscle so necessary for good health.
  • Having to clean, heat and moisten a larger volume of air leads to drying and cooling of the membranes lining the airway leading to spasm and inflammation.
  • A further response is increased production of mucus by the mucus glands which causes further narrowing.

Running through all the research is the fact that people with asthma breathe too much air, sometimes as much as 3 times the required amount, and reducing the volume brings a reduction in symptoms.

 

The Buteyko Method involves -

  • Switching from mouth breathing to nasal breathing
  • Practising the exercises taught
  • Becoming aware of incorrect breathing habits and how to correct them
  • Adopting modest lifestyle changes to facilitate the change over to good breathing behaviour which is conducive to good health.

Lifestyle changes looked at include:

  • Constant observation of breathing habits
  • Sleeping Posture
  • Physical exercise and how to get maximum benefit from exercise routines
  • Diet: Become aware of how food intake and digestion affects breathing. Also, how different foods make demands on our body
  • Ambient Temperature: the disadvantage of being too warm.

Hyperventilation:

Hyperventilation (breathing too much air) can be defined as breathing in excess of metabolic requirements. This means that the volume of air breathed is too high in relation to carbon dioxide production in the cells. This overbreathing keeps the carbon dioxide levels low. Because an adequate amount of carbon dioxide is just as important as an adequate amount of oxygen for health lowered levels will lead to very serious consequences for the organism.

In the 1970’s, Claude Lum, a chest physician at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge had this to say about hyperventilation –

“Chronic hyperventilation presents bizarre, and often apparently unrelated, symptoms which may affect any part of the body, any organ or any system…..

…….Symptoms may show up anywhere, in any organ, in any system for we are dealing with a profound biochemical disturbance which is as real as hypoglycaemia(low blood sugar) and more far reaching in its effects.”

The symptoms of hyperventilation and inadequate levels of carbon dioxide are widespread and varied.
They include -

  • Respiratory System: Asthma, Irritable Cough, Chest Tightness, Breathlessness, Air Hunger, Wheezing, Blocked or Runny Nose, Snoring, Unable to Take a Satisfying Breath, Yawning, Sighing, Frequent Chest Infections, Loss of Sense of Smell.
  • The Nervous System: Dizziness, Feelings of Unreality, Faint Feelings, Visual Disturbances, Migraine Headaches, Pins and Needles Sensation, Poor Concentration, Forgetfulness, Trembling, Intolerance of Noise or Light.
  • Circulation: Racing or Irregular Heart Beat, Angina, Cold Hands/Feet, Pains in Chest Region, Raised Blood Pressure.
  • Gastrointestinal System: Difficulty Swallowing, Dry Mouth and Throat, Heartburn, Flatulence, Belching, Abdominal Discomfort, Bloating.
  • Muscular System: Cramps, Muscle Pains, Tremors, Stiffness, Fatigue, Painful Joints, Jaw Clenching.
  • Psychic: Anxiety, Tension, Phobias, Fear, Depression, Irritability, Depression, ‘Unreal Feelings’.
  • General Symptoms: Weakness, Fatigue, Impaired Concentration and Memory, Allergies, Disturbed Sleep.

 

The Control Pause

Professor Buteyko even devised a simple method of checking our health and this he called the Control Pause. It is a simple breath hold and determines the extent of overbreathing. It can be done anywhere and the only piece of equipment required is a clock or watch with a second hand or a digital timepiece.

How to check the Control Pause (CP)

  • Sit upright and breathe gently for a few minutes through the nose if possible.
  • At the end of a normal ‘out’ breath pinch the nose between thumb and forefinger.
  • Hold the breath until you feel the first urge to take another breath.
  • Release the nose and continue breathing normally.
  • The number of seconds elapsed between holding the nose and releasing it are timed and represent the Control Pause in time.
  • It is important that the first breath after the ‘hold’ is calm and gentle. This is not a measure of how long you can do without air, it is measuring how long your body is comfortable without taking in more air. It is measuring your level of health.

The result of the exercise.

If the CP is less than 20 seconds you are experiencing symptoms including wheezing, coughing, breathlessness, blocked nose and symptoms during exercise. You will, most likely, be using your short acting reliever regularly.

With a CP between 20 and 40 seconds you will only experience symptoms when a trigger is present. Short acting reliever seldom used, if at all.

With a CP greater than 40 seconds you are unlikely to experience any asthma symptoms. The higher the CP the less likely the symptoms.

How much air is considered too much?

4 – 6 litre is per minute is the amount required for the normal sized adult, at rest. During exercise or manual work the requirement will increase. Breathing this amount will keep the carbon dioxide levels at the optimum level for maintenance of good health. Each breath will be approximately ½ litre, so 8 – 12 breaths per minute is the requirement at rest..

Breathing more than 4 – 6 litres will lead to ill health in one organ or another.

How can a person breathe too much air?

Poor breathing habits, such as, breathing through the mouth, constant sighing or yawning.

Stress and worry will also increase the volume of air breathed.

Effects on Body Chemistry

Poor breathing behaviour over a period of time lowers the carbon dioxide in the alveoli (air sacs in the lungs) and the blood. Carbon dioxide has a vital role to play in the delicate chemical balance within the body.

3 of its most important functions are

  1. It is the body’s natural smooth muscle relaxant and acts on all smooth muscle including the smooth muscle surrounding the airways, blood vessels and digestive tract. When there is insufficient relaxant in the form of carbon dioxide over a period of time symptoms of diseases, such as, asthma, raised blood pressure and digestive problems will appear.
  2. Carbon Dioxide is the most important regulator of the acid/alkaline balance in the body. This causes undue stress and weakens the immune system leaving the individual susceptible to infections, allergies and even the growth of tumours.
  3. Good levels of carbon dioxide are vital for efficient delivery of oxygen to the cells where healthy metabolism can only take place in the presence of sufficient oxygen.

When carbon dioxide levels are low the chemical bond between haemoglobin and oxygen are strengthened making the haemoglobin reluctant to give up the oxygen. Instead of being transferred to the cells it stays in the blood and leads to cellular hypoxia (too little oxygen in the cells) This is known as the Bohr Effect

Below is a picture of an MRI scan of a brain showing the effects of overbreathing on this vital organ. Other organs, including the heart and kidneys will be similarly affected.

 

In this image oxygen(O2) availabiliey in the brain is reduced by 40% as a result of about a minute of overbreathing(hyperventilation).  Not only is oxygen availability reduced, but glucose critical to brain functioning is also markedly reduced. (red=most O2, dark blue=least O2) 

 

This can be reversed in a comparatively short space of time by correcting the faulty breathing behaviour.